Ruins
by ThereWillComeSoftRains
Summary: Elizabeth Stroder died. Then, she woke up... In the ruins of North America, Liz struggles to survive daily, even though she technically isn't "alive" anymore. For months, Liz hides in the wild, and believes she is the only person left alive in the entire world. Then, Liz meets Rosie and Felix, and everything changes.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_Fire..._

_The color red fills the sky, while screams rip through the air. The walls of society have finally fallen down. The world is ending..._

_People are dying, little children are crying...millions of people's lives are gone..._

_I feel pain..._

_Both internal and external pain...I mourn for those who are dead, but wail for the living; The ones who must now suffer._

_My skin is bloody, and littered with cuts and scabs. My throat is raw and scratchy; My palms sweaty and aching, while my finger nails have been chewed down to nearly nothing._

_For the past few weeks I've worried about this day, about dying. Now, I couldn't care less. So many people are dead, gone...soon I'll be gone, too. No use fighting anymore..._

_Smoke swirls across the sky, clouding the sun. Ashes fall to the ground like snowflakes, covering everything like a thick blanket._

_Every breath I take hurts. My lungs burn, and my eyes suddenly feel heavier than they did moments before..._

_Every muscle in my body seems to relax, and my chest slowly stops rising and falling. My eyes shut, and I feel nothing but warmth and peace despite the chaos destroying the world around me._

_Loud gunshots become softer, and the fire becomes dimmer until there is nothing left..._


	2. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ReBoot! Clearly, I am not Amy Tintera. There is no way I'd ever be able to think up an idea as genius as her story! **

**Chapter 1**

My eyes flickered open.

There was no fire, no smoke, no screams...

_"Just a dream..." _

I know better than to think that what had just happened was "just a dream." Six months ago I did die. Yet, here I am, six months later with no injuries and barely any recollection of my death. All I know is that I died a terrible death, surrounded by flames and guns...I don't know how I died, I just know I'm not living.

_"I am living...I'm just not alive..."_

After I died, I somehow "woke up." But when I woke up there was no fire, or ashes. The world was silent, the fire had gone out...

It was almost as if _years _had passed...

I roll onto my back and look up at the night sky above me. Ever since I've "woken up" I've lived like a nomad. I move from place to place, avoiding the little civilization left in North America.

For all I know, every city and town in the world could be gone. Everything may have already been burnt to the ground.

For all I know, I could be the only person left alive.

_"You're not alive...You're living, but you aren't alive." _

I don't like thinking back to the night I died...

_"Is it considered death, if you woke up as if nothing ever happened?" _

The night I "died" was the worst night of my life, but if I hadn't died I wouldn't have changed. Ever since that night I've been stronger than I once was. I can fight off anyone, even if they're ten times my size. I'm faster, braver, smarter...

Nothing about me is the same except my appearance. I have the same wavy brown hair, same pale skin, same bone structure...

_"But my eyes..." _

My eyes are what's different. My once warm brown eyes, are now a shimmering golden color. Besides that though, I look the same.

I even sound the same as I did six months ago when I died.

I could easily step back into my old life, and take on the role of Elizabeth Stroder once again if anyone who knew me were still alive.

But even if they all were alive they'd know that I'm different.

Elizabeth Stroder was a good girl. Everything she did was perfect. She was beautiful, and always knew what to say. She was funny, and loveable. Elizabeth Stroder never spoke back to adults, and was probably the most respectful thirteen year old girl to ever live.

It's a shame that Elizabeth Stroder is dead though; That she's been replaced by _Liz. _

Liz is _stronger_ than Elizabeth. Liz is _faster_ than Elizabeth. Liz is _smarter_ than Elizabeth. But most importantly, Liz is _dangerous. _She's ferocious, a killer. She's impulsive, and brave. She's cunning and manipulative. She's perfect in her own way.

_"New and improved..." _

I still remember the day I died. It didn't start bad, in fact it had all started out like a normal day...

Or, at least I think it was a normal day...

Lately I've found it hard to remember the details from my old life. I can barely even remember what my parents looked like, or if I had any friends. All of my memories from _before _have seemed hazy ever since I woke up.

Even my death, a recent memory, is hard to recall sometimes. Of course, I remember the major details of my death...

I know I died in a fire...or was I shot?

_"There's no point in trying to remember everything. What happened is in the past. There's no point in trying to remember all the details from _before. _You're dead. That's all you need to know...That's all that matters."_

Usually the only time I manage to remember much is when I'm asleep. My dreams are the only connection I seem to have with my other life.

The few dreams I have now are dark...everyone seems sick, and depressed. When I wake from them I'm almost always covered in a cold layer of sweat, and I can't help but feel a pang of grief...

_"Grief is better than nothing..." _

After I died, my emotions changed. I rarely feel sadness, or anger unless I want to. Most of the time I only feel _neutral_, or _numb. _I don't feel pain of any kind unless I'm dreaming. When I'm dreaming it's like Liz is gone, and I'm still alive; I'm still Elizabeth Stroder.

Sometimes I feel like I'm two people. When I sleep I become Elizabeth. When I'm awake I am Liz. Sometimes I wish I could be both of them. Kind and funny like Elizabeth. Strong and fast like Liz.

_"Why can't I be them both? Why can't I be emotional, yet strong? Why?" _

I roll back onto my side and silence my thoughts.

Right now, I'm curled up in a ball, hidden behind an over-grown bush. Despite my new-found strength, I know better than to sleep in the open. Not all people are kind like I once was. People now are savage, and would kill me if they found me sleeping on a path in the middle of the woods, but not before they'd steal all of my stuff.

I tried to go back to sleep, but for some reason my eyes wouldn't shut. I got a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach, and then I heard _it..._

_Boom. _

* * *

**_I feel like I made it sound like Liz was a bit crazy. I'm sorry if this chapter was really confusing and hard to follow. I just wanted Liz to think back on her life before she died in a really vague way. I wanted her to remember how she was a "good girl" and now how she's all emotionless, and just looking for something to make her feel again. If my writing confused anyone, I'm super sorry :( _**

**_If anybody thinks I could explain something better, or add in something/grammar/detail, leave a review. I'm open to constructive criticism. After all, it'll make me a better writer :) _**

**_Thanks for reading, please stick around for the next chapter! _**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_Boom._

A gunshot echoed somewhere in the forest, followed by a high pitched scream.

Without thinking, I leapt to my feet while clenching a large rock in my hand.

_Boom._

I flinched at the next gunshot, and then I was running.

Trees flew past me as my legs traveled towards where I'd heard the gunshots.

Another wail tore through the air, followed by a voice, "Come here Rosie...Come to _Daddy. _You don't wanna be stuck all alone in the big bad forest, do you? Come here, baby doll...Everything is gonna be alright..."

I hesitantly walked towards the voice, being careful not to step on any dry leaves or twigs. The world around me suddenly seemed _calm, _yet silent.

The birds had stopped singing. The wind had stopped blowing...

The world was quiet.

Then, a high-pitched childish sceam pierced the air. A little girl who looked no older than ten, was being yanked out from under a bush by an insane looking middle aged man, "You little demonic creature-"

I listened as the man laughed maniacly as he pulled out an old looking pistol and pointed it at the little girl. She looked so terrified. Her eyes widened in horror as his finger tensed on the trigger.

_"Her eyes..." _

Her eyes were blue like the ocean, and crystal clear as they _glowed. _

_"She's like me."_

I lunged forward, out of my hiding spot, while swinging the rock in my hand towards the man's head.

He fell down quickly, dropping his gun. I didn't have to check to know he was dead. The rock I had hit him with was large enough to do some damage, but with my strength, there was no possible way he'd be able to survive after the blow.

The little girl scrambled away from me the second the man fell, "Please! Don't kill me, just let me go! I-"

"Why do your eyes glow?" I ask.

The little girl stares at me as if I'm from a different planet. She just saw me kill a man, who I'm assuming was her father, and the first thing I say to her is _"Why do your eyes glow?" _

"I don't know," The little girl mumbled, "They just do...ever since-"

"You're like me, aren't you?" I say, more than ask.

"It depends," She whispers, "What exactly are you?"

"She has a point. What am I?"

I shrug, "There's not exactly a name for what I am."

I can feel the girl staring into my eyes, and wondering why they're gold; Why they glow like hers, "Here's a hint though: I'm dead, and I know you must've died too, but you came back. You woke up."

She looked shocked at what I'd said. Maybe she didn't know what she was. Maybe she didn't have many memories of her death, like me. Maybe she didn't know she had died at all...

"I'm Liz by the way," I say softly, holding my hand out to help her up.

She gulped and reached for my hand, "I'm Rosie."

"Nice to meet you, Rosie."

She nods.

"How old are you, Rosie? You look a bit young to be wandering around the forest with maniacs," I try to sound light, and laugh a little. Rosie looks like she could use a good laugh. She looks like she's been through hell.

"Eleven," Rosie whispers, "And that maniac was my father..."

_"Eleven?"_

Rosie looked like a little nine year old girl. Her hair was pulled back into knotted pig-tails, and she was wearing a worn out, torn pink dress. I never would've guessed that she'd be eleven.

"I just turned eleven when I...you know, died..." Rosie must've sensed my confusion, "A lot of people think I'm younger than I actually am," Rosie added awkwardly.

"That doesn't explain why your father almost shot you, or why you were with him in the middle of the forest anyways."

Rosie stands up, and brushes some of the dirt off of her dress. Her eyes look sad as they look at something behind me.

I jerk back when I see what Rosie was looking at.

A few feet away from me, a girl with tangled blonde hair was laying in a puddle of her own blood.

She'd been shot.

"Rebecca," Rosie says, "Her name was Rebecca. She was my older sister..."

I felt a pang of sadness in my heart looking at Rebecca. I didn't even know her, but I felt sad for her death.

_"I haven't felt sad in months..." _

"We were running away from home," Rosie shrugged her shoulders as if what she was saying wasn't important, "People from our town didn't like us. They called us demons, and monsters. Our parents stopped talking to us, they wouldn't even refer to us as their daughters anymore. They said their daughters were _dead_, that they died from the virus.

"Rebecca and I did die though, but we came back!" Rosie nearly yells, "We came back, and nobody cared!

"One day, Becca and I heard our parents talking about us," Rosie whispers, "They wanted to kill us. They didn't care how, they only wanted us dead _again_! So, Rebecca and I ran away. But, our father came after us. He acted nice at first, telling us he loved us...that we should come home, but then he pulled out a gun and shot Becca. It was almost like he was insane! He kept chanting the same things over and over again: _"Demonic little creatures! Go back to Hell!"_

"He wouldn't stop laughing at our fear...He said our deaths would be a gift to the world, and that we should be _thankful _he cared enough to do this for us; To put us out of our misery!"

"They hated you because you came back to life..." I mumble.

"We...we rebooted, well you did too..." Rosie says quickly.

"Rebooted? What are we, computers?" I scoff.

"That's only what I heard people from my town call _us_: Reboots," Rosie retorts.

"Reboots?"

Rosie nods her head, and her pig-tails bob up and down.

I finally notice how tired she looked, and realize that she may act older, but she's still just only eleven.

I shift back and forth on my feet for a few moments awkwardly thinking over what I should say, "These woods are dangerous for an eleven year old...If you wanted to, you could stay with me for a little while..."

Despite all that she's been through in the past few weeks, Rosie broke out grinning, "OK."

_"How can she have so much hope, when the world that we know is pretty much destroyed. How can she still smile when everybody she cares about has turned their backs on her?"_

"C'mon then. We better start walking."


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"La-La-La-La-La..." I listen as Rosie sings a song behind me. It sounds loud, and has no melody or beat. She isn't even on pitch. Yet, hearing her sing makes me feel..._happy. _

_"How can she be so optimistic? She saw her sister die less than an hour ago!" _

"Is there an off switch somewhere on you?" I sigh, causing Rosie to giggle, "You've been singing for the past twenty minutes now!"

"I'm bored," Rosie laughs.

"Can't you find some other way to pass time?"

Rosie looks like she's deep in thought for a minute before she bursts out giggling again, "Nope."

I simply shake my head, "You could talk? Tell me where you were running off to when I found you," I say trying to keep Rosie occupied and quiet. You never know if anbody could be nearby. The quieter Rosie is the better.

_"The last thing I need is to get attacked by some looters." _

"Texas," Rosie answers without missing a beat.

"Why Texas? What's there?" I can't help but feel genuinely curious as to why Rosie wanted to go to Texas.

"I didn't want to go there, Rebecca did. She heard news that people like us are safe there; That the government wants to protect us."

When I looked at Rosie while she was talking, I noticed how hopeful she looked. She doesn't even know what's in Texas, but she's hoping that she'll finally be accepted again.

I shook my head, "Don't get your hopes up, Rosie. What if what Rebecca heard were rumors? You'll end up walking thousands of miles to get to Texas for nothing. It's better for us to just stay away from people. Besides, why would the government want to help us anyway?"

Rosie stomps her foot stubbornly, "It's their job to protect us!"

"It's not their job to protect us, Rosie. And even if it was, where are they when we need them most? I've been stuck out in the wilderness for nearly six months now. No one has ever helped me. Your father killed your sister, and tried to kill you. Where was the governent then, Rosie?" Rosie looks shocked, and I realize I basically screamed my entire rant. I take a deep breath, "Listen, Rosie. We need to look after ourselves now. _Government_ can't be here to protect everyone all the time. From now on, we take care of ourselves."

Rosie bobs her head up and down, "So, you asked me questions. Now it's my turn!"

"What do you want to know?" I ask Rosie.

Rosie looks hesitantant for a second before she speaks, "How did you die?"

I felt myself stiffen, "I don't want to talk about that."

"It's only fair!" Rosie protests, but I keep walking through the forest, trying to drown out Rosie's voice with my own thoughts.

"You already know that the virus killed me, I deserve to know how you died!" Rosie shouted while running after me.

"I don't know how I died," I mumble quickly.

"What?" Rosie stares at me, "Speak louder, I couldn't hear you!"

"I. Don't. Know. How. I. Died," I manage to spit out through gritted teeth.

Rosie's mouth dropped open, "How could you not know!"

"I just don't ok! I know the basics: There was a fire, and gunshots, and I was sick...I just don't remember much of it," I nearly shout.

"Oh," Rosie murmmurs gently, "I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. There's nothing to be sorry for. I shouldn't have exploded like that, it's just...there's some things I don't...I can't remember. It hurts too much," I explain.

"Can I ask another question?" Rosie asks.

I nod.

"OK!" Rosie smiles at me, "How old are you?"

"Fourteen," I answer. "I'll be fifteen in a month or two though."

I step carefully over a tree root, and duck under a couple of low hanging branches, "Next question?"

"What's your favorite color?"

"I don't know..." I take some time to think, "Maybe a soft looking pink, something light."

Rosie laughs behind me as she trips over a rock.

"What's so funny!" I demand.

"Nothing," Rosie tries to stifle her laughter. "It's just, you don't seem like the type to like the color pink. You remind me of some angry biker, I figured you'd like the color black or red."

_"An angry biker...that's new." _

"Are we almost at your camp yet," Rosie whines. "I think I hurt my foot, and there's a lot of bugs out here."

I feel my lips twitch upwards in a grin.

I've had literally no emotion these past few months. Then, I met Rosie and I feel alive again.

"You've known her for barely an hour, and you're treating her like she's family!"

I don't know what it is that draws me towards Rosie. I can't tell if it's her optimistic attitude, or her laid back personality. Maybe it's simply because she can still smile after all that she's lost...

"Why are you happy, Rosie?" I ask.

"Why not?" Rosie looks at me as if I've grown two heads.

"You've lost so much. You saw your sister _die _today, Rosie! Less than an hour ago, she died. But here you are, smiling and laughing as if nothing happened! I just don't get it!"

The smile on Rosie's face vanishes, "Rebecca wouldn't want me to be sad. She always wanted the best for me, and I know she'd be upset if I cried over her. She's dead now, crying won't bring her back. So, I'm happy. I'd rather spend my life smiling, than crying over what I've lost."

I'm suprised by how serious Rosie sounds, "Of course, I miss Becca...but I _know _she's in a better place."

It takes me a moment to realize both Rosie and I have frozen in place.

I start to say something, but can't find the right words to say, "We should keep walking. We'll make it back to camp faster."

"You're right," Rosie nods her head in agreement, "I can't wait to go to sleep, and be able to relax for the first time in days. We can pick up our question game tomorrow."

For the rest of the walk, Rosie and I were silent.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_"The following message is transmitted at the request of the United States government..."_

_I sit behind the couch as the TV flashes in bright colors and a voice drones on about the KDH virus which has killed thousands._

_Nobody really knows how KDH works, but once you get it, it's pretty much an automatic death sentence._

_"Is it death if you come back? Is it death if you wake up, as if nothing ever happened?"_

_Lately I've been hearing so many horror stories of those who've "woken up," and how the United States government is basically falling apart. Rumor has it that Texas has closed off its borders, and that the President died of the virus months ago._

_"That would explain a lot..."_

_Ever since the KDH virus first came out, people have become savage. Looters have taken to the streets, towns have been over run by warlords..._

"Chaos..."

_There is no more right or wrong in this world. There is only "Survival of the fittest."_

_"Beep...Beep...Beep..."_

_I sit in silence as the TV wails over and over again, playing the same message on loop._

_"Gerald..." I hear my mother whisper to my father._

_She doesn't know I'm down here hiding behind the couch. She doesn't know that I know the world as we know it is ending; That we're all probably weeks away from death._

_"What are we going to do?" She says._

_"Lucy-"_

_"There's nothing left to do, is there?" My mother laughs softly, as sad tone creeping into her voice. "We're going to die, aren't we? Everyone is pretending that everything will be fine. I'm sick of pretending, Gerald. I'm sick and tired of waking up everyday, acting like everything will be fine-" _

_"Enough, Lucy!" My father hisses under his breath. "You'll wake up Elizabeth, and the last thing we need is for her to worry."_

_I listen to my parents bicker back and forth. I'm so used to them both being so calm, and proper. I've never heard either of them like this in my entire life._

_Reality washes over me like a tidal wave._

_I always thought I'd have this "happy ending." I always thought that I'd grow up in this perfect family, get perfect grades, meet the perfect guy, and start a perfect little family of my own. _

_My life is far from perfect now. In fact, my life is ruined. There's no point in living this fairy-tale life anymore, when the only life I've ever known has been taken from me. _

_Why should I have to be a good girl and follow the rules, while men in masks roam the streets taking whatever they want? Why should I be a good girl in a world filled with only disorder, and chaos?_

_My entire life I've played by the rules, and look where that's gotten me? Nowhere. Absolutely nowhere._

_Knowing my luck, I'll end up dead before I get to live a little..._

_I break free from my thoughts the second I feel a tear slip onto my cheek. I quickly reach up and brush the lone tear drop away._

_I will not cry. Crying won't get me anywhere._

_I feel myself slightly twitching. I try to tune back into my parents conversation, but my mind just wanders away from me._

_I find myself imagining the streets filled with fire, the air with screams. I blink my eyes, envisioning how I could possibly die in this corrupt world._

"I don't want to die...I've barely even lived my life, I'm not ready for it to end..."

_I suddenly can't stand listening to my parents anymore. I can't stand sitting still. I have to move. The more I move the harder it will be to think..._

_I feel myself moving. I know I'm walking, but I don't know how. My legs are working all by themselves. It's almost as if my brain has shut down._

_"Elizabeth?" I hear my mother say. She sounds confused, and is looking at me as if I'm a baby who wondered downstairs on their own in the middle of the night. Her confusion quickly changes into realization._

_She knew I'd heard everything that she had said._

_She gulps and shifts her eyes to the wall behind me, as if she isn't comfortable with looking me in the eyes, "Go to your room, we'll talk about this in the morning."_

_I look from my mother, then to my father. His face is like a mask, and is void of any emotion, "Listen to your mother, Elizabeth. Go to your room."_

_I nodded my head slowly, like a zombie. Then, I marched up the stairs behind me._

_When I reached my room, I took off my favorite pink skirt and matching sweater, for a plain white night-gown that my mother had given to me for Christmas a few years ago._

_I'll admit it, I'm girly. I always have been._

Knock. Knock.

_"Elizabeth?" I hear my mother call softly from outside my bedroom door._

_I quickly hop into my bed, and pull the covers over myself, "Come in."_

_She walks in hesitantly, but her eyes hold the confidence that they usually did. My mother sat down on the edge of my bed, and tucked a strand of sandy blonde hair behind her ear._

_"Elizabeth," She sighed. The confidence immediately disappeared from her eyes. She suddenly looked weak, and terrified. How had she managed to hide all of her fears from me for so long?_

_"Darling, how much did you hear downstairs?" She asks._

_"Everything," My voice comes out soft, and monotonous._

_My mother takes a deep breath, and looks extremely nervous._

_"Your father and I have been talking, and..." She pauses. Her eyes shift from me, to the wall, then back to me again._

_I feel a surge of panic, "About what? What have you been talking about?"_

_She looks me in the eyes and takes my hand in hers, "We've been talking about you. We don't think it's exactly...safe...for you here anymore."_

_"It's not safe anywhere! Haven't you been watching the news! The world is ending mom," I say. "You can't just send me away, and pretend like everything will be just fine!" _

_I feel a sting on my cheek, and realize that my mother slapped me, "You will not raise your voice like that!"_

_I flinch away at her loud voice. Mom never yells._

"Never..."

_"I'm sorry, Elizabeth," She says gently, as if an apology can fix everything. "You think I don't know that the world is ending? You think I don't know what is going on in the world anymore? Bad things are happening, and good people are suffering. I don't want you to have to be miserable anymore, Elizabeth. I want you to live a good life...which is why I'm going to send you to live with your Aunt Wendy..."_

_I shake my head slowly, "No! You can't be serious! Aunt Wendy lives half way across the country! What makes you think it will be any safer there, than it is here?"_

_"I don't know if it's safe!" My mom shouts, and takes another deep breath to calm herself down. "I don't know if it's safe...but I can only hope that you'll have a better life there, that you'll be safe again. I just want you to be able to put this entire nightmare behind you." _

_I feel tears burn in my eyes, "I don't want to go though. I want to stay here!"_

_She touches my cheek where she'd slapped me moments ago, "I know you do baby. I want you to stay, too. It just isn't safe here anymore."_

_"But, Mom-"_

_"Enough," My mom says cooly. "When you wake up tomorrow morning, I want you to pack your things. You'll be leaving for your aunts' house on Saturday."_

"Saturday..."

_Today is Wednesday...She can't possibly be sending me away in two days. Can she? She can't be serious..._

_"Go to bed," My mom whispers gently. "I'll see you in the morning. We can talk more about all this at breakfast."_

_I nod my head slowly, and roll onto my side._

_I didn't realize how exhausted I was until my eyes slowly slid down, sending me spiraling into a dark black abyss._

_"I love you, baby," I hear my mom sniffle. "I love you so very much..."_


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 6**

_"Where am I?" _

My thoughts are scrambled, and for a moment I don't know where I am. I feel numb, and groggy. Then, reality crashes in on me again.

I sit up slowly, and rub my neck.

The sun is hanging high in the sky, and the world is bathed in sunlight. Everything seems so alive, and perfect in the morning.

I look over and see Rosie sound asleep. She looks so much younger than she actually is. Her blonde hair curls around her round looking face, and the way she curled up into a ball...

An image flickered in my mind.

_"Blonde hair...blue eyes..." _

I blinked my eyes quickly, and the second I did the image hiding in my mind vanished.

I shake my head quickly.

_"My life is a mess..." _

I can't tell dreams, between possible memories anymore. I don't know what's real or fake...

I close my eyes, and press my fingers to my temples.

_"Forget about it. Relax. Stay calm...relax..." _

I chanted the same words over and over in my head again, and pushed all of my thoughts towards the back of my mind.

_"Relax..." _

It seemed like hours before I could finally open my eyes again, but when I did, the sun was still floating above me. The world around me was still full of light. Nothing had changed.

"Liz?"

I turned around, and saw Rosie staring at me.

"Are you alright?" Rosie whispers gently. I'm surprised by the amount of concern in her voice. We've barely known each other for a day, and she's acting like she's known me for years.

"I'm fine," my voice comes out sounding strained.

"Liz," Rosie reaches out and touches my hand.

"I'm. Fine," I say through gritted teeth. Rosie and I may be close, but I'm not ready to talk about the fact I don't even know anything about my past. I'm not ready to admit to her that I barely remember who I was before I rebooted; That the only thing left of my past life are dreams.

Rosie just nods her head, and pulls away from me.

"So," I say awkwardly in trying to change the subject. "Breakfast?"

Rosie laughs, "I think it's a bit late for breakfast. How about lunch?"

I smile, "Sounds good."

* * *

**I know this chapter is really short, but I just wanted to show Liz's vulnerable side. She can be strong, and funny, but the fact that she can't remember much of her life is killing her. **

**Anyways, I'm totally open for other's opinions, and I'd really like to know if I should continue this story. **

**Thanks for reading! **


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 7**

"La-La-La-La-La-La..." Rosie was back to singing her songs as we trudged through the forest in search of a decent meal.

"C'mon, Rosie!" I laugh.

"What?" Rosie giggles, "I thought you enjoyed my _lovely _singing voice!"

"Enough, Rosie!" I lightly punch her arm, "Are you trying to attract looters? Do you have some death wish I should know about?"

"Death wish! I'm already dead!" Rosie says as she trips over a tree root.

Boom.

A gunshot echo's somewhere in the distance, silencing both Rosie and I.

"Let's move," I grab Rosie by the arm.

Rosie just nods, and does her best to follow me.

"How close do you think the shooter is?" She asks.

"I don't know, but I don't want to stick around and find out," I whisper. "Just keep quiet. The farther away we get, the better."

Rosie bobs her head again, "Where are we going?"

"There's a town about a mile away from here," I say. "It should have some fresh water, and food for us."

"Is it abandoned?" Rosie asks cautiously.

"Yes," I answer quickly. "Even if there are people still living there, I doubt they'd give us any trouble."

Rosie just nods her head again, and for once has nothing to say.

The two of us stumble through the forest blindly for about a half an hour. Every once and a while we stop to make cover our tracks.

Eventually, we make it onto an old run-down road. Cars were littered up and down the street in front of us. It looked as if the people driving them had left in a hurry. Purses were left untouched, keys remained in the ignition.

Something bad must have happened on this road.

I looked over at Rosie, who was confused to say the least.

"What happened here?" She whispered.

"I don't know," I respond, while walking over to a nearby car that was parked on the side of the road. "It must not have been good though..."

Rosie shudders, "Do you think they were evacuated?"

_"Evacuated?" _

I couldn't help but feel confused. What did Rosie mean my _evacuated? _

"What do you mean they were evacuated?"

Rosie shrugs, "Whoever owned the cars. Maybe when things got bad, they were evacuated."

Rosie continued talking when she noticed how I still looked confused, "You really don't remember, do you?"

I shake my head quickly, and shift my eyes to the ground.

"It's okay," Rosie says softly before talking again. "Entire towns were evacuated because of the virus. Thousands were sent away to camps, or to other countries. There wasn't really any warning before you were taken...People would just come in trucks and haul you away. When my families radio still worked, we used to hear all about the evacuations..."

"Were you evacuated?" I ask.

"No," Rosie says sadly. "My family waited, and prayed that we'd be rescued. They thought that if we were evacuated we'd be safe. But no one ever came for us..."

"Anyways," Rosie laughs gently, "How far are we away from the town? I'm starving to death over here!"

I smile at Rosie's lame attempt of a joke, "We should be there in a few more minutes."

"Thank God!" Rosie dramatically clutches her stomach.

"Are you done with the theatrics yet?"

"Nope," Rosie giggles.

If I could have stayed in that one moment for the rest of my life, I would've. I know I'm dead, but in this moment I felt alive again.

In this moment, we were safe...

_Boom._


	8. Authors Note

**Authors Note**

Sorry, this isn't an update!

For those of you who bother to read this: I've worked very hard on this story, and all I want to know is whether I should continue this story. I'm open to constructive criticism, but so far, I haven't gotten any idea's or questions about this story.

Anyways, now that I'm done with my little rant, I've decided to add a some more details involving plot.

Thank you for reading!

* * *

*******Very Important Plot Points***** **

_* _Ruins _does not take place in Texas. It specifically takes place in the North Eastern part of America. _

_* This story has _original _characters. _

_* The characters in this story were created to know very little about the world, and what is left of it. They know nothing about HARC, or what is waiting for them in Texas..._

_*None of the characters in this story know how long it took for them to reboot/"wake up." _

**_I hope some of these details cleared up some confusion. If anyone has any questions, just drop a review or PM me, I'll add an answer :) _**

**_If you bothered reading this entire note, thanks! Please stay tuned for my next update, if all goes well, I should have another chapter up tonight! _**


	9. Chapter 7

_**There's a short A/N at the end, please read! WARNING: Unedited! Read at your own risk! **_

* * *

**Chapter 8**

_Boom._

Bullets danced across the pavement mere feet away from Rosie and I.

"Run!" I barely recognized my own voice as I scrambled behind a nearby car. Never in my entire life have I sounded so _terrified _and helpless.

I looked up to see Rosie crouched besides me, her hands laced behind her head, and her eyes filled with terror.

_Boom._

Whoever was shooting at us was getting closer.

I took a quick glance through the car window, and saw a person cloaked in black running towards us.

We have to get out of here.

I looked back up through the car window, and saw someone's keys still in the ignition. Hopefully there's still gas in the car. If not...

"Rosie," I say quickly. "Whoever's shooting at us is getting closer. When I say _now _I need you to get in the back of the car, and stay low. Don't look out any windows, and keep your head down. If I say _run_, get out of the car and zigzag into the forest. Got it?"

Rosie nods her head.

"Now!" I hiss.

Rosie jumps up into the back of the car, as I take the wheel. I keep low as the shooter gets closer and closer. Bullets fly through the air, and footsteps echo off the pavement.

_"C'mon...Stupid car...Start!"_

At this point I'm desperate. If this car doesn't start Rosie and I will die...

"C'mon..." I mutter. Then, the engine roars to life.

* * *

After the engine turned on, everything dissolved into one big blur. The shooter was far behind us now, and the car had enough gas to get us into town.

I kept my hands clenched tightly around the steering wheel, and my eyes glued to the road. I felt as if we were driving in circles. The car seemed to fly past the same trees, and the same broken-down cars.

"Do you think they'll find us again?" Rosie asks from the backseat.

I shake my head, "No. It'll take them at least an hour to walk into town. We'll be in and out in less than twenty minutes. Trust me, Rosie. We're going to be fine...I won't let anything happen to us."

Rosie nods her head, and then goes back to looking out the window.

The minutes passed by quickly, and soon, Rosie and I found ourselves driving into what looked like a ghost town.

"What happened here?" Rosie whispers.

I shrug, "Beats me. Most of the people were probably evacuated, the other half probably died...Then those who chose to stay were most likely picked off by looters."

"How can you say something like that so casually?" Rosie asks.

"It's a different world now, Rosie. You adapt, or you die," I say.

"It can't be a different world," Rosie protests, "There must be good left in the world somewhere. For all we know there's people like us in Texas. Maybe that's why Rebecca wanted to go there. It's supposed to be safe-"

"This world isn't safe anymore. There are good people, and bad people, but you can't trust any of them. You never know who will take advantage of you kindness..." I counter.

Rosie sighs, "Why can't anyone work together anymore? Why can't everything go back to the way that it used to be?"

I pull up into a deserted parking lot, and turned back to look at Rosie, "It's just human nature Rosie. It's hard to explain, but it's just the way things are now. You have to accept the world for what it is now. There's no point in trying to change it."

Rosie stares at me stubbornly, "I don't want to think like that..."

"You don't have to."

* * *

"Ba-da-dum-" Rosie was humming softly to a song I'd never heard before, as we walked through what used to be a supermarket.

The lights flickered above us, and glass crunched beneath our feet.

I scooped up a small basket that sat on the floor by my feet, and tossed some canned goods into it.

"Go get yourself a basket," I say, "You don't have to stick to my side, just don't walk to far. If you need me, just shout."

"Okay," Rosie nods her head, and skips towards the front of the store.

I walk down the isles slowly, and glancing at the expiration dates on every package of food. There wasn't much left in the store, but there would be enough to keep Rosie and I well fed for a few weeks.

I could hear Rosie humming from a few isles down, and I couldn't help but smile. I walked a little bit farther down the aisle, and stumbled upon some tacky looking sweatshirts, and matching sweatpants. They weren't much, but they'd be good when winter came. I picked up the clothes, and stuffed them into the basket.

_Cruuuunch. _

I stiffened the second I heard the glass crunching. I crouched down, and pretended to look at the label on a can of corn. My hand found a sharp glass shard, and I stood up slowly.

I took in a deep breath, before whipping around.

_Boom._

* * *

**_I feel like this chapter was awful, but I just wanted to get something up. _**

**_I hope you all liked the new-ish format that I tried out. I hope it wasn't to irritating to read..._**

**_Anyways, I wanted to try dividing this story into parts, but I'm not sure how it worked out. I feel that this story would be better if it was longer, but I'm having so many problems with making some of these chapters long. I'm working on trying to get some more plot written into the story. By the next chapter you'll be meeting the attacker/shooter! _**

**_Thanks for reading! _**


	10. Please Read

_**Hi everyone! **_

_**I'd just like to say a quick Thank You to the few of you who have been reading this story so far :) Even though you haven't reviewed, the simple fact that you're reading means so much to me. **_

_**Anyways, I'd just like to say that this story will be "slowing down" a bit. I just started school this week (on Wednesday) and so far, I'm practically buried in homework. In all honesty, I don't have much time for fanfiction right now. So, I'm just going to take a little break. Right now I'm working on two stories (This one, and another), and I'm doing my best to get all of the chapters written and edited. I'm almost done with the two chapters from my other story, but I've just started writing for "Ruins." If all goes well, I should be able to give you at least two long-ish updates by next week. **_

_**Thanks so much for reading! **_

_**~Emma **_


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